Car-door hanger



Feb. 21, 1928. 1,659,823

E. F. JAGER CAR DOOR HANGER Filed ma v 192s 3 sheets-sheet 1 l Na m wwwW arf y Jger .w.. www.

E. F'. JAGER CAR DOOR HANGER Feb. 2l, 1928.

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 7,

Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

tINl'IEQSIAIFS PATEN'l1 OFFICE..

EARL F. JGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, 0F ONE-HALF TO FRANK JAGEB, OF DESPLAIES, ILLINOIS,ANDONE- HALF 'IO-ELIZABETH J. SPRAY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-DOOR HANGER.

Application filed .Tuly 7, 1923. Serial No. 650,006.

This invention pei'tains in general to sliding doors, and while itsprinciples may be embodied indoors for various structures, the inventionas shown here, for purposes of illustration, is embodied in a car dooradapted for use on box cars, and the like.

One of the purposes of this invention is to provide a door carryingmechanism whereby the door will be supported uponball bearings so astomove easily, and the track upon which the balls travel will be protectedfrom the weather' so as to preclude an accumulation of snow, sleet, orothei foreign matter on the track.

Another purpose is to provide a novel spacing member in which theantifriction balls are mounted, and to connect this spacer to the doorso that it will be permanently associated with the door, but will becapableof longitudinal sliding movements relatively thereto.

Another and important obj-ect is to provide a door carrying mechanismwhereby the movement of the door is checked as it approaches the limitsof its opening and closing positions. i

A further object of this invention is-to provide 'a door carryingmechanism including anti-friction members interposed be tween the doorand its support in which the anti-friction members are connected Vto thesupport in a manner which will permit a limited sliding longitudinalmovement between the door and said members, this relative movement beingchecked near the final movements of the door as the saine approaches itsopen or closed position in order to interpose a frictional checkingaction `between the door and support tothereby prevent violent slammingof the door against its stops. i.

Another feature of the invention resides in improved means for forcingthe door inwardly as it approaches the limits of its travel, and forautomatically locking the door in both fully opened and fully closedposition so as to preclude the same from slamming back and forth `whenthe, car is in transit. 'Other objects and vadvantages of this inventionshould be readily appreciated as the samebecomes better understood byreference to the following description, when considered in connectionwith the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings: j

F ig.` 1 is a fragmentary side elevation 0f a. car equipped with myinvention;

Q Fig. 2 is a detail of one of the door locking devices; Y

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View through the door shownin Fig. l;

Figli is a similar view of a inodiied construction;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one of my improved` spacers;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 7 is a` view similar to Fig. 5 of a inodiied form of spacer;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation thereof; and

Fig. 9 is an inside view of the supporting track.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, reference character 11indicatesl generally the side wall of a car provided with the usual dooropening, and the customary front and rear door stops 12 and 13,respectively. A door 14 is adapted to close the door opening, andismounted to slide back and forth paiillel with and outside of the carside wa To the lintel 15 of the car there is fixedly attached by bolts16, or otherwise, a door supporting track which in the form illustratedin Fig. `3 comprises an angle bar 17, mounted with the horizontal flangeprojecting inwardly toward the side wall of the car. A similar angle bar18, providing a hanger, is fixed tothe inner face of the door 14, andhas its horizontal `flange projecting outwardly over the horizontalflange of the track. Between the horizontal flanges of the track andhanger are disposed a plurallity of antifriction balls 19, adapted totravel Yze braclret members 22 are attached, preferably by rivets 23.These brackets are also apertured so that the balls project downwardlyto engage the track. 1t will be apparent, therefore, that the balls aremaintained in predetermined spaced relation by this spacer, whichtravels together with the balls longitudinally of the track, as the dooris opened and closed. The door being carried by the balls 19, it willordinarily move relatively to the spacer at the same rate and in thesame direction as the spacer moves relatively to the track.

The spacer bar 21 and the balls 19 are 'connected to the hanger `in amanner which will permit a limited sliding longitudinal movement betweenthe door and said balls. @his relative mo'vei'nent is checked, as willbe explained, near the lin'al movements of the door as the Asameapproaches its `open or closed position, in order to interpose africtional checking action between the door and Ltrack to thereby'prevent vio-lent slamming of the door against its stops. To this endVthe spacer bar 21 vis provided between the balls with an elongated slot24, through which a bolt 25, depending from the horizontal flange 26 ofthe hanger projects. rllhe head of this bolt being wider than the slot24, serves to attach the spacer to the hanger, but at the same time alimited amount of sliding movement of the spacer relatively to 'thehanger is permitted, said boltv being adapted to abut the ends of theslot 211 near the final movements of the door to check such relativemovement of the spacer. ldlhen the relative movement between the ballsand the door i's checked, the balls instead of functioning asantifrictional members between'the hanger and the track, will introducea Vfrietional checking action therebetween, resulting in a retardationof the finalv movements of the door.

1in the modiiied form ofrspacer illustrated in higs. 7 'and 8, the endsof the spacer bar are turned inwardly, as indicated at 2S, providingthereby retainers for the balls, which perform thevsame function as theretaining bracket 22, previously described.

`In order to prevent theV spacer and antiffriction balls from riding toofar on the track so as to prevent the-spacer from being in properposition t'o permit relative movement with respect tolthe door when the`saine is subsecpdfmtly operated, the horizontal flange of the traclr 17is provided as shown in Fig. 9 with upwardly extending projec tions 30,which, in the present instance, are struck up from the metal of theflange itself. rlhese projections are spaced apart and relatively to theextremities of the door move- -ment so that the spacer is adapted toabut against one of such projections in the `path of thevspacer-whenever there has not been free relative movement between thespacer and the hanger. as for example, whenever the friction between thebolt 25 and the har 21 should become so great as to prevent relativemovement between the spacer and hanger. rllhue, the lugs 30 insurerelative moven'ient between the sp: ce' and hanger during an opening` orclosing movement of the door, and also insure the proper relativeposition of the spacer with respect to the `hanger when the door comesto rest in open or closed position, so that relative moven'ient will bepermitted between the spacer and hanger upon a Subsequent operation ofthe door.

At the upper cornersl of the door. and also intermediate the ciu'le`thereof, if dcsired, there are lixedly secured reinforcing plates 29,which perform the dual function of reinforcing the door and also ol'preventing the door from contacting with the outer face of the car sidewall as the door is moved baci: and forth. in ordinary car conf-tructionthe outer face of the side wall is spaced inwardly an inch or more fromthe outer plane of the door opening, and as will he apparent from Fig.3, the plates 2S) are provided with upward elvtensions 31. which, whenthe door in closed position as shown in Fig. 3, clear the outer face ofthe track 17. llilhen the door is opened` however, or duringl; itsopening and elosingij movements, inward movement of the upper edge ofthe door into contact with the opposed side wall of the car is preventedby engagement of these extensions with the outer face of the track,which, therefore, prevent contact between the door and the side wall,and preclude scratching and other injury which would result from suchconv tact.

The lower edge of the door iz: guided in any suitable manner, and in thepresent in stance it is shown as equipped with a -har 32, the downwardlyprojecting;l llange ol` which is disposed inwardly of g i'dng bracketsSi by which the lower edge of the` door is held in position.

lln the modilied constriu'lion shown in Fig. il, the tra-ck 35 is shapedto extend outwa rdly beyond, instead of beingl divil'iozfed honeath, thelintel Se. ln this instance. also, the hanger Si' is of the same shane:is the track, although a hanger similar to that shown in Fig. 3 mi@` the employed with this form of track if ilesired. Y

For the purpose o1 locking the door' in both open and closed positions,i have provided automatic lockingl means coinprining front and rear dogsQ and 39, pivo'tally d() mounted adjacent the stops 12 and 1&3 uponpivot bolts i1 and Each dog is provided intermediate its ends with avertically disposed slot i3 through which a holt ll-ft ei;- tends intothe door stop. The inner end of each dog is provided with a dependinglatch lll) lou

45, beveled at its side toward the door so that the outwardlyprojecting" flanges a6, one of which `is formed atveach end of the doorreinforcingbar 47, will lift' the dogas the door approaches the limit ofits movement, whereupon the latch Ll5 will ride over the flange and thendrop so as to prevent reverse movement of the door; The locking dogsalso serve to hold the locked edge of the door against outward movementaway from the car structure, and forthe purpose of wedging the doortoward the car side wall, the inner end of each dog is beveled, asindicated at 418, Fig. 2, so that the door is forced inwardly as itapproaches the limit of its travel.

VIn addition to these locking devices, which are adapted toautomatically lock the door in both open or closed positions, the doorispreferably equipped with a locking and sealing device, indicatedgenerally by reference character Li9 (Fig. l), by which the car may belocked and sealed to protect the lading. This locking and sealing devicemay be of any preferred construction, the particular form illustratedbeing disclosed in a copen'ding application.` a

It is believedtliat my invention, its preferred construction, and itsmany advantages will'be understood from the foregoing without furtherdescription, and obviously, the structural details may be varied withinconsiderable limits, without departing` from the l spirit of theinvention, as defined in the fol lowing claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a supporting track, a sliding door, antifrictionballs by, which said Ydoor is supported from the track, a spacerconnecting said balls, said spacer comprising a perforated bar andperforated means for maintaining the balls in engagement with the bar,and a slidable connection between said spacer and the door, permittingrelative movement between said spacer and door.

2.V The combination of'asliding door, a

supporting track, a spacer between the door and track and extending adistance slightly greater than one half the width of the door, saidspacer having angular portions near its ends each including a spacedflange, each of said portions having apertures therein in verticalalignment, one of the apertures being in the flange and ball bearingsretained in said portions and projecting through the apertures to engage`the door and track and give support to the door.

3. The combination of a sliding door, a hanger therefor, a supportingtrack, anti friction members by which said door is slidably carried uponsaid track, a spacer connecting the anti-friction members, said spacerand anti-friction members being in terposed between the hanger andtrack, the

spacer and anti-friction members being adapted for free traveling"movement during the greater part of the door movement, means forengaging the spacer and checking the relative movement of the spacer andanti-friction members carried thereby with respect to the door `as thedoor approaches the limit of its opening or closing movement in eitherdirection to thereby convert the anti-friction members into frictionmembers and cushion the linal opening or closing `movements of the door.

ll. The combination of a sliding door, a supporting track, a hanger bywhich said door is suspended from the track, anti-friction balls betweensaid track and said hanger, a spacer connecting said balls, said spacerand anti-friction balls being movable relative to the hanger and trackduring the greater portion ofthe door opening or closing movements,abutnients carried by the track inthe path of movement of the spacer tostop `the longitudinal movement of the spacer the door approaches thelimits of its full opening or closing positions to thereby insurerelative movement between the spacer and door. l

The combination of a supporting track, a slidable door, a hanger bywhich said door is suspended from said track, anti-friction ballsinterposed between said hanger 'and said track, a spacer connectingsaidballs, means for slidably `connectingsaid spacer with said hanger, saidspacer having a free slidable movement relative to the hanger and trackduring the greater portion of the opening or closing movements of thedoor, means for stopping the relative movements of the spacer andanti-friction balls carried thereby with respectto the door when thedoor approaches its full opening or closing movements, to therebyconvert the anti-friction balls into friction devices and cushion thefinal opening or closing movements of the door.

6. The combination of a supporting track, a sliding door, anti-frictionballs by which said door is supported from the track, a spacer'connecting said balls, said spacer comprising a perforatedbar andperforated means for maintaining the balls in engagement with the bar, aslidable connection between the spacer and the door, permitting relativemovement between the spacer and the door during the greater portion ofthe opening or closing movements of the door, means for stopping therelative movement of the spacer with respect to the door to therebycause the balls to exert a frictional resistance between the door andthe track during the continued final closing or opening movements of thedoor, to thereby check and cushion such final movements of the door.

7. The combination of a sliding door, a

supporting `track therefor, a hanger by which said door issuspended uponthe track, said hangerfand Ytrack being of substantially-U-shaped-ormation and adapted for inter- Afitting relation, to providea space therebetween, anti-:friction balls interposed between Vsaid:hanger and track and itting Within the space between the track andhanger, aspacer Vconnecting said balls, the spacer and balls beingadapted for free relative movement during the greater portion of thedoor opening',v means fer stopping the relative longitudinal travel or'the spacer and balls With respect to the door las the door approachesits ft'ull `opening or closing movements, said rmeans upon a continuedmovement of the f'door causing frictional resist- Vance nf the ballsLbetween the hanger and -for engaging `.the spacer as the door ap-lproaohes its full open `or closed position .to change the relativemovement .of the spacer with respect to the door to thereby cause:escasas the balls to introduce a -trictional resistance between thetrack and door.

9. The combination of a sliding door, a supporting track, a longitudinalmember by which the door is connected to the track, antiifriction meansby which said door is slidably carried upon said track, said means beinginterposed between said member and track, said means being adapted fortree traveling movement during the greater part oi the door movement7means tor engaging said first means and changing the relative movementthereof With respect to said member as the door approaches the limit ofits opening or closing movement in either direction to thereby converttbc antiitriction means into a friction means and cushion the linalopening or closing movements ot the door.

1G. The combination o' a sliding door, a supportinfY track, alongitudinal member by which said door is connected to the track,antii'riction means between said track and member7 said means beingmovable relative to said member and track during a greater part of thedoor opening or closing movement, and abutments carried by the track inthe path of movement of said means to stop the longitudinal movementthereof after the door approaches the limits of its opening or closingpositions to thereby insure relative movement between said means anddoor.

naar r. Jasnn.

